"Where Life Meets Parkinson's." A blog for Parkinson's education, research advances, treatment strategies, and personal reflection. The goal is to provide support and resources to anyone either with Parkinson's disease or with any neurodegenerative disorder.
"I wear the mask. It does not wear me." Man in the Iron Mask "See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness." Luke 11:35 PrĂ©cis: The simplest way to describe Parkinson's is that it's a movement disorder due to the reduction of dopamine production. Sometimes one of the more obvious places …
"One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest." Maya Angelou "Life is not a problem to be solved, but an experience to be had." Alan Watts Don't You Get The Summer Off?: …
Continue reading "Catching Up, Life-Stories, and Future Posts in Journey With Parkinson’s"
“At what point do you give up - decide enough is enough? There is only one answer really. Never.” Tabitha Suzuma "Be proud of your scars. They remind you that you have the will to live." Paulo Coelho PrĂ©cis: ~50% of the people with Parkinson's develop psychotic tendencies. Treatment of their psychosis can be relatively …
Continue reading "Treatment of Parkinson’s Psychosis with Nuplazid"
“Stop taking identity in illness and start taking identity in wellness” Nina Leavins “The thought of hope is the seed to healing.” Shilpa Menon PrĂ©cis: Several of you have asked for an update on my strategy for treating my Parkinson's. My current plan consists of traditional Parkinson's medication, augmented by a complementary and alternative medicine …
“Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life.” Will Duran “The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'” Isaac Asimov Introduction: The goal of this post is to highlight several experimental model systems that have effectively been used in Parkinson's research. We have …
Continue reading "Importance of Model Systems in Parkinson’s Research"
“Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.” Carl Sagan “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” R. Buckminster Fuller PrĂ©cis: Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are using an innovative approach to treat Parkinson's in …
Continue reading "Neuroprotection by Modified-Macrophages in a Parkinson’s Model System"
“Spring passes and one remembers one's innocence. Summer passes and one remembers one's exuberance. Autumn passes and one remembers one's reverence. Winter passes and one remembers one's perseverance.” Yoko Ono “Embrace aging.” Mitch Albom, Tuesdays with Morrie PrĂ©cis: The great majority of individuals with Parkinson's reveal no genetic mutations, no past history of head injury, …
Continue reading "Science of Advanced Age as a Risk Factor for Parkinson’s"
"Men are from Earth, women are from Earth. Deal with it.” George Carlin “You can either be a victim of the world or an adventurer in search of treasure. It all depends on how you view your life.” Paulo Coelho PrĂ©cis: ~10% of Parkinson's cases are linked to familial genetic mutations; whereas the vast majority …
Continue reading "Gender Differences as a Factor in Parkinson’s"
“The greatest wisdom is in simplicity. Love, respect, tolerance, sharing, gratitude, forgiveness. It's not complex or elaborate. The real knowledge is free. It's encoded in your DNA. All you need is within you. Great teachers have said that from the beginning. Find your heart, and you will find your way.” Carlos Barrios, Mayan elder and …
“No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.” Robin Williams Hiding behind the initial diagnosis: When I was diagnosed with Parkinson's 18 months ago, I told my immediate family, a few close friends, and some key people in my research group. Receiving news that you have a progressive neurodegenerative disorder strikes …
Continue reading "Parkinson’s and Dementia: Remembering Robin Williams (1951-2014)"
Journey with Parkinson's 